Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1887-11-04
FROM THE JAWS OF DEATH
One of the Crew Of the Inflated Steam
er Vernon Rescued When Nearly Dead.
He is Finally ResuScitated, but Does
not Know the Cause of the Disaster.
Most of the 30 People Went Down with
the Wreck-HiS a Miraculous Escape.
Sixty Hours in the Water Without Food
Exposed to Waves and Bitter Cold.
THE ONLY SURVIVOR.

Alfred Stone Tells Terrible Tale of the SAT-
feringS of Those on Board the Vernon He
Narrowly Escaped Through a Window.
STURGEON BAY, Wis, Nov. 1.-The
schooner Pomoroy passed through this
bsy to-day with Alfred Stone, one of the
crew OF the iIl-fated steamer Vernon. II,
was picked up last night about eight
miles from Sheboygan on raft. A dead
body was found on tho raft with him,
name unknown, but supposed to be an
other fireman. Stone says he swoke as
the boat was sinking, and jumped through
q window and found the life raft with six
persons upon it.
Stone says there were fifty persons on
board the steamer. When he iumped
into the water there were people scattered
around in life preseryers. He saw the
life raft on the crest of wave
not far distant, and succeeded in reach
ing it. The ice cold water dashed over
the raft chilling and freezing every one
on it. One by one they succumbed to
the cold and were swept off by the waves.
The people floating about in life-pre-
servers stood small chance in the terrible
sea that was raging. He saw several
persons torn out of their cork jack
cts by the violence of the waves, and
go down never to reappear. There
was
LITTLE sHRIRKING OR CONF FUsIoN.
"The next morning" says Stone, Il
was left alone on the raft, the others all
having succumbed to the cold and fallen
off. l saw steamer approaching from
the north, for time it seemed 10 be
bearing directly upon me. As it ap-
preached, frantically waved my hand
kerchief hoping to attract attention, and
thought l could see men on the steamer
watching me, but she passed by me, about
half mile away. AS she disappeared 1
thought my fate must be sealed. The
waves were the highest 1 ever saw
and were continuously washing over the
raft, taxing my rapidly failing strength
to the utmost TO hold on. On
one occasion the raft was upses. 1 near
ly gave out before reaching it, but finally
succeeded in crawling back. The sea be-
gan going down On Saturday, and the wa
ter stopped washing over tho raft. This
gave me no relief from cold, as was wet
through and frost bitten, but was no
longer ir danger of being swept off, as
were the other five. 1 was about over
come with fatigue, hunger and cold when
the schooner Pomeroy picked me up.
think the
CAUSE OF THE DIsAsTRR CAN NEVER BE KNOWN
1 am probably the only survivor.
When 7 woke the steamer was sink
ing and l had only time to get
outside before she went down. l think
most of the men on board went down
with her. 1t is likely that her machinery
gave out and she got into the trough of
the sea and her side was stove in by a
wave. | am not even certain that her
engines gave out, but she lay in the
trough of the sea when she sunk. The
top of the cabin was forced off when she
went down, and a few people climbed upon
it, and it soon broke up. The man on
tie raft did not know what caused the
disaster any better than did.
The name of the rescued man was AL
bert or Alfred Stone, a Swede. The
Pomeroy run into the life-raft, and
the nate leaning over saw the
man. It was about 5 O'Clock yes
terday morning. Stone was unconscious,
but was rowing. The dead man was the
other fireman. Stone is strong, vigor
Gus man, and is not yet fully conscious.
He was totally unconscious until yester-
day afternoon. The other six on the life
raft died of exposure, the steward dying
two hours after going Ell the raft. Stone
does not remember the names of the
other persons on the raft. He thinks
there were between fifty or sixty persons
on the Vernon.
The Pomeroy will leave Stone at No
nominee, Mich.